Physical activity and activities of daily living of nursing homes residents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Interventions to promote physical activity in nursing homes are among the priorities of German long-term care insurance funds. We summarized the evidence on the effectiveness of such interventions. We conducted a systematic literature search in five electronic databases in November 2019, which was complemented by searching reference lists and trials registries. Eligible studies included individually (RCTs) or cluster randomized trials or non-randomized comparative studies that investigated the effectiveness of interventions to promote physical activity in nursing home residents and their impact on the ability to perform activities of daily living. Results were synthesized using random effects meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of 19 included studies with high risk of bias showed a small yet statistically significant effect on activities of daily living (SMD = 0.40, 95 % CI 0.08-0.72); heterogeneity was substantial (I = 77 %, p